sausage, mushroom and sun-blush tomato mafaldine

sausages and pasta is a combination which i’ve grown to love. the addition of fennel – a bulb or seeds, preferably both – usually guarantees that i’ll try a recipe and that it will be a hit with both david and i. as a result there are lots of fennelly sausage pasta recipes on here (have a look), and here’s another! 

this was quickly pulled together from a very empty fridge – mushrooms were the only fresh vegetables we had in but thankfully there was a handful of sun-blushed tomatoes to lift things.

this is my contribution to presto pasta nights which, this week, is being hosted by me!

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mushroom & rosemary mafaldine

when i made this mushroom and rosemary salad i thought it’d be good as a “sauce” for pasta. i knocked up a batch last week and was proved right – it works really well. fabulously easy too, given the mushrooms are uncooked – they are simply dressed with olive oil, lemon, herbs and cream. i used mafaldine pasta but tagliatelli would work well too.

i'm sharing this dish with katie from one little corner of the world who is hosting this week's presto pasta nights.

mushroom and rosemary salad

 

mushrooms are a source of contention in our house – i’m a fan but david is really not keen. as a result we rarely eat them. or, if we do, they are disguised within something such as my much-loved-and-definitely-worth-making-if-you-haven’t-already lentil and mushroom ragu, or saved for occasions when david is away, such as when i made this leek and mushroom lasagne for supper with some girlfriends. i also sneak them into salads.

occasionally though, i need a more intense mushroom fix and have to just go for it. this recipe from the wednesday chef triggered my mushroom desires and i made a batch to accompany an easy supper of broad and green bean pasta.

the recipe is very simple – thinly sliced mushrooms are dressed with olive oil and lemon juice then sprinkled with some finely chopped fresh rosemary plus a little salt to draw out the juices. the dish is left to stand (i left it for c15 minutes while sorting out the pasta) and a small amount of cream is then added. it is left for a little longer then finished with a final sprinkling of herbs (chives were suggested but i used mustard leaves) and ground pepper.

the end result is amazingly complex – the dressing ingredients result in beautifully tender mushrooms which you’d think had been cooked, while the rosemary adds a depth of green aromatic flavour which contrasts perfectly with the mushrooms’ earthiness. the lemon, as ever, lightens everything up. i really loved this dish and, amazingly, david also declared it a hit.

we ate this with a double bean, lemon and pink peppercorn pasta dish, but next time i make it i think i might toss it with pasta and parmesan shavings or serve it on top of some toasted bruschetta with roasted tomatoes on the side.

asparagus, green bean and raw mushroom salad

 

slowly but surely i’m getting back into cooking lighter, more summery food. it’s not been as quick and easy as usual this year – i’m not sure if this is due to the weather being so changeable and winter not being willing to step aside for spring, or if it’s down to having a two week break from my kitchen just as the seasons shifted and spring fruit and vegetables started to arrive.

whatever the reason, i think i’m back on track. as ever, asparagus is a good friend when it comes to lightening things up and this salad was brilliant. it’s also absolute simplicity itself which is great when the sun is shining and all you want to do is sit outside with a plate of yummy food.

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creamy mushroom and leek lasagne

vegetarian lasagnes can be shameful affairs – a final resting home for non-descript vegetables, no clear flavours and the provoker of a slightly mournful sigh if ever they are the only vegetarian option on a menu.

having said that, they can also be fabulous and are well worth making yourself (see here and here for a couple more vegetarian lasagne options). one of the secrets, i think, is to think about the vegetables you want to use and how you are going to ensure that their individual flavours shine through. making sure that everything works together is also important.

this leek and mushroom lasagne was truly fabulous. it is based on nigel slater’s recipe for mushroom lasagne with pesto but with addition of a layer if slow-cooked creamy leeks in the middle. you do need to be a bit of a mushroom fan though as their flavour is at the fore.

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